minority leader mitch mcconnell to assure that no republicans block the bill. for house speaker john boehner to agree to bring it to a vote on the house floor. and leader nancy pelosi to produce the huge number of democrats needed to pass it. if that plan falls through -- >> i will urge senator reid to bring to the floor a basic package for an up or down vote. >> so what are the chances that will happen? lisa desjardins is live on capitol hill. lisa, what is happening right now to reach a deal? who right now is involved in the negotiations? >> reporter: you know, this fiscal cliff that affects pretty much every american is now down to just a handful of people here at the capitol trying to work out a deal. at the top of the list are senators mcconnell and reid that you heard about in jessica's story. but also very important today will be their top staffers. their chiefs of staff. our producer, ted barrett, reports that the chiefs of staff will be working with each other trying to hammer out a deal, then talking to their bosses, the senators. then we'll find out